Get is a very common verb which has several different meanings. Its past tense is got. In British English its -ed participle is also got. American speakers also use got, but they usually use gotten as the -ed participle for meanings 1 to 5 below.
Get is very often used to mean 'become'.
In spoken English and informal writing, you often use get instead of 'be' to form passives.
Don't use get to form passives in formal English.
You use get instead of 'go' when you are describing a movement that involves difficulty.
Get is also used in front of in, into, on, and out to talk about entering and leaving vehicles and buildings.
When you get to a place, you arrive there.
Get to is also used in front of a verb to talk about attitudes, feelings, or knowledge that someone gradually starts to have.
If you get something, you obtain or receive it.
Got is also used in the expression have got.
Imperative |
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get |
get |
Noun | 1. | get - a return on a shot that seemed impossible to reach and would normally have resulted in a point for the opponent return - a tennis stroke that sends the ball back to the other player; "he won the point on a cross-court return" |
Verb | 1. | ![]() isolate - obtain in pure form; "The chemist managed to isolate the compound" incur, obtain, receive, get, find - receive a specified treatment (abstract); "These aspects of civilization do not find expression or receive an interpretation"; "His movie received a good review"; "I got nothing but trouble for my good intentions" get back, win back - recover something or somebody that appeared to be lost; "We got back the money after we threatened to sue the company"; "He got back his son from the kidnappers" press out, express, extract - obtain from a substance, as by mechanical action; "Italians express coffee rather than filter it" capture, catch - capture as if by hunting, snaring, or trapping; "I caught a rabbit in the trap today" buy, purchase - obtain by purchase; acquire by means of a financial transaction; "The family purchased a new car"; "The conglomerate acquired a new company"; "She buys for the big department store" charter, hire, rent, lease, engage, take - engage for service under a term of contract; "We took an apartment on a quiet street"; "Let's rent a car"; "Shall we take a guide in Rome?" receive, have - get something; come into possession of; "receive payment"; "receive a gift"; "receive letters from the front" turn - get by buying and selling; "the company turned a good profit after a year" buy - acquire by trade or sacrifice or exchange; "She wanted to buy his love with her dedication to him and his work" find - obtain through effort or management; "She found the time and energy to take care of her aging parents"; "We found the money to send our sons to college" glom - seize upon or latch onto something; "The Republicans glommed onto Whitewater" enter upon, luck into, come upon - take possession of; "She entered upon the estate of her rich relatives" get hold, line up, find, come up - get something or somebody for a specific purpose; "I found this gadget that will serve as a bottle opener"; "I got hold of these tools to fix our plumbing"; "The chairman got hold of a secretary on Friday night to type the urgent letter" accept, take, have - receive willingly something given or offered; "The only girl who would have him was the miller's daughter"; "I won't have this dog in my house!"; "Please accept my present" obtain - come into possession of; "How did you obtain the visa?" recover, regain, retrieve, find - get or find back; recover the use of; "She regained control of herself"; "She found her voice and replied quickly" catch - get or regain something necessary, usually quickly or briefly; "Catch some sleep"; "catch one's breath" regain, find - come upon after searching; find the location of something that was missed or lost; "Did you find your glasses?"; "I cannot find my gloves!" gain, win, acquire - win something through one's efforts; "I acquired a passing knowledge of Chinese"; "Gain an understanding of international finance" earn, realise, pull in, bring in, realize, gain, make, take in, clear - earn on some commercial or business transaction; earn as salary or wages; "How much do you make a month in your new job?"; "She earns a lot in her new job"; "this merger brought in lots of money"; "He clears $5,000 each month" preempt - acquire for oneself before others can do so preempt - gain possession of by prior right or opportunity, especially so as to obtain the right to buy (land) gather up, pick up, call for, collect - gather or collect; "You can get the results on Monday"; "She picked up the children at the day care center"; "They pick up our trash twice a week" inherit - obtain from someone after their death; "I inherited a castle from my French grandparents" borrow - get temporarily; "May I borrow your lawn mower?" pick up - get in addition, as an increase; "The candidate picked up thousands of votes after his visit to the nursing home" get - acquire as a result of some effort or action; "You cannot get water out of a stone"; "Where did she get these news?" poll - get the votes of |
2. | ![]() change state, turn - undergo a transformation or a change of position or action; "We turned from Socialism to Capitalism"; "The people turned against the President when he stole the election" sober up, sober - become sober after excessive alcohol consumption; "Keep him in bed until he sobers up" sober, sober up - become more realistic; "After thinking about the potential consequences of his plan, he sobered up" work - arrive at a certain condition through repeated motion; "The stitches of the hem worked loose after she wore the skirt many times" take effect - go into effect or become effective or operative; "The new law will take effect next month" run - change from one state to another; "run amok"; "run rogue"; "run riot" take - be seized or affected in a specified way; "take sick"; "be taken drunk" break - come into being; "light broke over the horizon"; "Voices broke in the air" settle - become resolved, fixed, established, or quiet; "The roar settled to a thunder"; "The wind settled in the West"; "it is settling to rain"; "A cough settled in her chest"; "Her mood settled into lethargy" progress, shape up, come along, come on, get along, get on, advance - develop in a positive way; "He progressed well in school"; "My plants are coming along"; "Plans are shaping up" surmount, master, overcome, subdue, get over - get on top of; deal with successfully; "He overcame his shyness" gain ground, get ahead, make headway, pull ahead, win, gain, advance - obtain advantages, such as points, etc.; "The home team was gaining ground"; "After defeating the Knicks, the Blazers pulled ahead of the Lakers in the battle for the number-one playoff berth in the Western Conference" | |
3. | get - cause to move; cause to be in a certain position or condition; "He got his squad on the ball"; "This let me in for a big surprise"; "He got a girl into trouble" | |
4. | get - receive a specified treatment (abstract); "These aspects of civilization do not find expression or receive an interpretation"; "His movie received a good review"; "I got nothing but trouble for my good intentions" change - undergo a change; become different in essence; losing one's or its original nature; "She changed completely as she grew older"; "The weather changed last night" take - ascertain or determine by measuring, computing or take a reading from a dial; "take a pulse"; "A reading was taken of the earth's tremors" | |
5. | ![]() land, set down - reach or come to rest; "The bird landed on the highest branch"; "The plane landed in Istanbul" drive in - arrive by motorcar; "The star and her manager drive in today from their motor tour across the country" land, put down, bring down - cause to come to the ground; "the pilot managed to land the airplane safely" roll up - arrive in a vehicle: "He rolled up in a black Mercedes" get - reach and board; "She got the bus just as it was leaving" attain, reach, hit - reach a point in time, or a certain state or level; "The thermometer hit 100 degrees"; "This car can reach a speed of 140 miles per hour" flood in - arrive in great numbers move in, pull in, get in, draw in - of trains; move into (a station); "The bullet train drew into Tokyo Station" plump in - arrive suddenly and unannounced; "He plumped in on a Sunday morning" | |
6. | get - go or come after and bring or take back; "Get me those books over there, please"; "Could you bring the wine?"; "The dog fetched the hat" retrieve - run after, pick up, and bring to the master; "train the dog to retrieve" retrieve - go for and bring back; "retrieve the car from the parking garage" channel, channelise, channelize, transmit, transport, transfer - send from one person or place to another; "transmit a message" deliver - bring to a destination, make a delivery; "our local super market delivers" | |
7. | get - go through (mental or physical states or experiences); "get an idea"; "experience vertigo"; "get nauseous"; "receive injuries"; "have a feeling" suffer, sustain, have, get - undergo (as of injuries and illnesses); "She suffered a fracture in the accident"; "He had an insulin shock after eating three candy bars"; "She got a bruise on her leg"; "He got his arm broken in the scuffle" undergo - pass through; "The chemical undergoes a sudden change"; "The fluid undergoes shear"; "undergo a strange sensation" take - experience or feel or submit to; "Take a test"; "Take the plunge" horripilate - have one's hair stand on end and get goosebumps; "I horripilate when I see violence on television" | |
8. | get - take vengeance on or get even; "We'll get them!"; "That'll fix him good!"; "This time I got him" get back, get even - take revenge or even out a score; "I cannot accept the defeat--I want to get even" pay - make a compensation for; "a favor that cannot be paid back" | |
9. | get - achieve a point or goal; "Nicklaus had a 70"; "The Brazilian team got 4 goals"; "She made 29 points that day" make - act in a certain way so as to acquire; "make friends"; "make enemies" | |
10. | get - cause to do; cause to act in a specified manner; "The ads induced me to buy a VCR"; "My children finally got me to buy a computer"; "My wife made me buy a new sofa" decide - cause to decide; "This new development finally decided me!" persuade - cause somebody to adopt a certain position, belief, or course of action; twist somebody's arm; "You can't persuade me to buy this ugly vase!" bring - induce or persuade; "The confession of one of the accused brought the others to admit to the crime as well" solicit - incite, move, or persuade to some act of lawlessness or insubordination; "He was accused of soliciting his colleagues to destroy the documents" encourage - spur on; "His financial success encouraged him to look for a wife" let - actively cause something to happen; "I let it be known that I was not interested" lead - cause to undertake a certain action; "Her greed led her to forge the checks" suborn - induce to commit perjury or give false testimony; "The President tried to suborn false witnesses" | |
11. | get - succeed in catching or seizing, especially after a chase; "We finally got the suspect"; "Did you catch the thief?" | |
12. | ![]() regrow - grow anew or continue growth after an injury or interruption; "parts of the trunk of this tree can regrow"; "some invertebrates can regrow limbs or their tail after they lost it due to an injury" spring - develop suddenly; "The tire sprang a leak" leaf - produce leaves, of plants pod - produce pods, of plants teethe - grow teeth; cut the baby teeth; "The little one is teething now" pupate - develop into a pupa; "the insect larva pupate" cut - have grow through the gums; "The baby cut a tooth" change - undergo a change; become different in essence; losing one's or its original nature; "She changed completely as she grew older"; "The weather changed last night" | |
13. | get - be stricken by an illness, fall victim to an illness; "He got AIDS"; "She came down with pneumonia"; "She took a chill" catch - contract; "did you catch a cold?" | |
14. | get - communicate with a place or person; establish communication with, as if by telephone; "Bill called this number and he got Mary"; "The operator couldn't get Kobe because of the earthquake" communicate, intercommunicate - transmit thoughts or feelings; "He communicated his anxieties to the psychiatrist" | |
15. | get - give certain properties to something; "get someone mad"; "She made us look silly"; "He made a fool of himself at the meeting"; "Don't make this into a big deal"; "This invention will make you a millionaire"; "Make yourself clear" render - cause to become; "The shot rendered her immobile" get, let, have - cause to move; cause to be in a certain position or condition; "He got his squad on the ball"; "This let me in for a big surprise"; "He got a girl into trouble" alter, change, modify - cause to change; make different; cause a transformation; "The advent of the automobile may have altered the growth pattern of the city"; "The discussion has changed my thinking about the issue" leave - act or be so as to become in a specified state; "The inflation left them penniless"; "The president's remarks left us speechless" | |
16. | get - move into a desired direction of discourse; "What are you driving at?" | |
17. | get - grasp with the mind or develop an understanding of; "did you catch that allusion?"; "We caught something of his theory in the lecture"; "don't catch your meaning"; "did you get it?"; "She didn't get the joke"; "I just don't get him" understand - know and comprehend the nature or meaning of; "She did not understand her husband"; "I understand what she means" catch, get - apprehend and reproduce accurately; "She really caught the spirit of the place in her drawings"; "She got the mood just right in her photographs" get - acquire as a result of some effort or action; "You cannot get water out of a stone"; "Where did she get these news?" | |
18. | ![]() attract, pull in, draw in, pull, draw - direct toward itself or oneself by means of some psychological power or physical attributes; "Her good looks attract the stares of many men"; "The ad pulled in many potential customers"; "This pianist pulls huge crowds"; "The store owner was happy that the ad drew in many new customers" | |
19. | get - reach with a blow or hit in a particular spot; "the rock caught her in the back of the head"; "The blow got him in the back"; "The punch caught him in the stomach" hit - deal a blow to, either with the hand or with an instrument; "He hit her hard in the face" | |
20. | get - reach by calculation; "What do you get when you add up these numbers?" get - acquire as a result of some effort or action; "You cannot get water out of a stone"; "Where did she get these news?" | |
21. | get - acquire as a result of some effort or action; "You cannot get water out of a stone"; "Where did she get these news?" get, catch - grasp with the mind or develop an understanding of; "did you catch that allusion?"; "We caught something of his theory in the lecture"; "don't catch your meaning"; "did you get it?"; "She didn't get the joke"; "I just don't get him" get - reach by calculation; "What do you get when you add up these numbers?" | |
22. | get - purchase; "What did you get at the toy store?" commerce, commercialism, mercantilism - transactions (sales and purchases) having the objective of supplying commodities (goods and services) | |
23. | get - perceive by hearing; "I didn't catch your name"; "She didn't get his name when they met the first time" hear - perceive (sound) via the auditory sense | |
24. | get - suffer from the receipt of; "She will catch hell for this behavior!" catch - be struck or affected by; "catch fire"; "catch the mood" | |
25. | get - receive as a retribution or punishment; "He got 5 years in prison" | |
26. | get - leave immediately; used usually in the imperative form; "Scram!" | |
27. | get - reach and board; "She got the bus just as it was leaving" arrive, come, get - reach a destination; arrive by movement or progress; "She arrived home at 7 o'clock"; "She didn't get to Chicago until after midnight" catch - reach in time; "I have to catch a train at 7 o'clock" | |
28. | get - irritate; "Her childish behavior really get to me"; "His lying really gets me" get - evoke an emotional response; "Brahms's `Requiem' gets me every time" | |
29. | get - evoke an emotional response; "Brahms's `Requiem' gets me every time" touch, stir - affect emotionally; "A stirring movie"; "I was touched by your kind letter of sympathy" get under one's skin, get - irritate; "Her childish behavior really get to me"; "His lying really gets me" | |
30. | get - apprehend and reproduce accurately; "She really caught the spirit of the place in her drawings"; "She got the mood just right in her photographs" get, catch - grasp with the mind or develop an understanding of; "did you catch that allusion?"; "We caught something of his theory in the lecture"; "don't catch your meaning"; "did you get it?"; "She didn't get the joke"; "I just don't get him" reproduce - recreate a sound, image, idea, mood, atmosphere, etc.; "this DVD player reproduces the sound of the piano very well"; "He reproduced the feeling of sadness in the portrait" | |
31. | get - earn or achieve a base by being walked by the pitcher; "He drew a base on balls" baseball, baseball game - a ball game played with a bat and ball between two teams of nine players; teams take turns at bat trying to score runs; "he played baseball in high school"; "there was a baseball game on every empty lot"; "there was a desire for National League ball in the area"; "play ball!" | |
32. | get - overcome or destroy; "The ice storm got my hibiscus"; "the cat got the goldfish" | |
33. | ![]() bewilder, dumbfound, flummox, mystify, nonplus, perplex, baffle, puzzle, stupefy, amaze, gravel, vex, pose, stick, beat befuddle, confound, confuse, discombobulate, fox, bedevil, fuddle, throw - be confusing or perplexing to; cause to be unable to think clearly; "These questions confuse even the experts"; "This question completely threw me"; "This question befuddled even the teacher" riddle - set a difficult problem or riddle; "riddle me a riddle" | |
34. | ![]() recommence - begin again; "we recommenced his reading after a short nap" strike out - set out on a course of action; "He struck out on his own" fall - begin vigorously; "The prisoners fell to work right away" jump off - set off quickly, usually with success; "The freshman jumped off to a good start in his math class" get to - arrive at the point of; "She gets to fretting if I stay away from home too long" auspicate - commence in a manner calculated to bring good luck; "They auspicated the trip with a bottle of champagne" attack - set to work upon; turn one's energies vigorously to a task; "I attacked the problem as soon as I got out of bed" break in - start in a certain activity, enterprise, or role launch, plunge - begin with vigor; "He launched into a long diatribe"; "She plunged into a dangerous adventure" come on - occur or become available; "water or electricity came on again after the earthquake" get moving, get rolling, get started, get weaving, bestir oneself, get cracking, get going - start to be active; "Get cracking, please!" begin - begin to speak, understand, read, and write a language; "She began Russian at an early age"; "We started French in fourth grade" | |
35. | get - undergo (as of injuries and illnesses); "She suffered a fracture in the accident"; "He had an insulin shock after eating three candy bars"; "She got a bruise on her leg"; "He got his arm broken in the scuffle" collapse, break down - collapse due to fatigue, an illness, or a sudden attack cramp - suffer from sudden painful contraction of a muscle have - suffer from; be ill with; "She has arthritis" experience, have, receive, get - go through (mental or physical states or experiences); "get an idea"; "experience vertigo"; "get nauseous"; "receive injuries"; "have a feeling" | |
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